Feeding of tobacco to cigarette making machines



Aug, 13, 194. SHACKLETQN 221L372 FEEDING 0F TOBACCO T0 CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Filed Nov. 27, 193'.

3 Sheets-Sheet l I NVEN TOR JACK SHLETON ATORNEY Aug. 13, 1940. J. SHACKLETON FEEDING 0F TOBACCO TO CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Filed NOV. 27, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR' JACK 'SHA ATTORNEY Aug, 13, 19%. SHACKLETQN 2,211,372

FEEDING 0F TOBACCO T O CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Filed Nov. 27, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR JACK SHACKLEIQN e gg w ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE FEEDING OI" TQBACCO TO CIGARETTE MAKENG MACHINES Application November 2'7, 1937, Serial No. 176,876

In Great Britain December 8, 1936 5 Claims.

This invention relates to the feeding of tobacco to cigarette making machines of the continuous rod type.

It isthe practice in tobacco feeds of the character in question to provide a carpet or mat of tobacco on a feed drum or belt having a carded surface from which it is picked off and showered in the trough of the machine by a fast rotating picker roller. In the vicinity of the picking a comb member is provided which acts to press the tobacco into the carding with a View to controlling the tobacco on the drum or belt. It is found, however, that the action of the picker is very erratic as it is impossible to bring the comb teeth right up to the point where the pins of the picker act so that a zone of the tobacco mat formed which is uncontrolled. Thus instead of picking off a portion of tobacco of uniform extent circumferentially of the drum and throughout the width of the drum, the picker tears or breaks away the tobacco in varying amounts throughout the width of the feed.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved method of feeding the tobacco whereby successive amounts delivered from the feed drum or like element are maintained substantially uniform.

According to the invention a carpet or mat of tobacco is fed to a severing position where severing means are provided adapted intermittently to sever a predetermined amount from the leading edge of the carpet of tobacco, said severed portions being delivered successively to the trough of the cigarette making machine.

The severance may be effected by a knife reciprocating across the path of the feed of the carpet.

The tobacco severed from the carpet may be delivered to means located in the chute of the machine and adapted to disintegrate the severed portion and shower it into the trough.

The carpet may be delivered to the severing means by a rotary drum.

Further features of the invention will be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved tobacco feeding apparatus;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of a modified form;

Figure 3 is a View of an auxiliary apparatus;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2, and also illustrates driving means for various working parts;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of a worm member; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view of a paddle wheel.

Fig. 6a is an end elevation of the paddle wheel.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one convenient mode, a drum ll! is provided mounted to rotate upon a horizontal axis. The drum is located below a main feed drum l l with which a tobacco hopper or supply is associated and is adapted to receive a shower of tobacco from said feed drum by means of a picker roll if, the feed drum l i being provided with carding E3 in known manner. The tobacco delivered by the picker roll 32 forms a carpet or mat It upon the drum in the surface of which is plain and may conveniently be formed of hard wood or have a hard wood periphery.

The carpet or mat of tobacco i on the wooden surface drum is fed by the rotary movement of the drum to a severing position which may be lo cated at or somewhat above the horizontal plane of the axis of the drum.

The drum Ill may be continuously or intermittently rotated.

A severing knife i5 is provided which is adapted to be reciprocated in a plane at right-angles to the surface of the drum whereby sections of the carpet of tobacco M are successively severed from the leading edge of the carpet. The drum provides a hardened surface against which the knife cuts.

The severed sections fall into a chute l6 and onto suitable means adapted to disentangle the tobacco and cause it to fall as a shower into the trough 29 of the cigarette making machine.

The disentangling means may comprise a rotating worm member ll (Fig. 5) or a paddle wheel H? (see Fig. 6), or a similar device of known or other suitable construction. The worm if such be used may impart a movement to the tobacco having a component in the direction of the movement of the cigarette rod.

Co-operating with the upper surface of the knife I5 is an abutment member it which operates to prevent the carpet being pulled off the drum in as the knife recedes after a cut. Rising from the abutment a cover shield l9 may be provided curved to conform to the shape of the carpet drum It and spaced therefrom to provide a passage for the carpet of tobacco, the shield aiding in retaining the carpet upon the surface of the drum.

The knife l5 extends throughout the length of the drum In which may vary according to the speed of the operation of the cigarette forming mechanism.

The speed of rotation of the drum l and rate of reciprocation of the knife l may be adjustable so that the desired quantity of tobacco is delivered to the trough 2U.

Suitable mechanism is provided for driving the parts in the desired manner, such as that hereinafter described. with particular reference to Figs. 2 and 4.

According to a modified arrangement, see Figure 2, means may be provided to form a series of narrow spaced carpets on the carpet drum I0 in which case instead of a single severing knife extending through the width of the drum, a series of short knives 34 corresponding to the position of the narrow carpets is provided.

The narrow carpets 2| may be formed by the provision of a series of partitions 22 associated with the picker roll I2 by which the tobacco is showered from the main feed drum onto the carpet drum.

The partitions 22 are located in the space between the picker roll, carded drum and carpet drum and are shaped to the curvatures thereof, as seen axially. Looking in a direction at rightangles to the axes of the drums, each partition 22 increases in cross section as it approaches the carpet drum to form a diverging end 23, thus providing passages 24 between the partition for the showered tobacco which decrease in width so that the tobacco streams are condensed transversely, thus forming a series of parallel narrow carpets spaced apart.

The driving mechanism illustrated in Fig. 4 as provided for actuating in timed relation the various working members of the last-described modification, is also essentially available for like actuation of the Fig. 1 mechanism.

It comprises a shaft 35 having a sprocket wheel 36 connected to a sprocket 38 on the shaft 39, and also carries a sprocket wheel 44 from which runs a sprocket chain 45 to a sprocket wheel 46 on the cam shaft 47. A sprocket wheel 40 on the shaft 39 drives a chain 4| running to a sprocket wheel 42 on the shaft 43 by which the refuser drum H is driven in timed relation with drum It]. A belt 58 running from a pulley 51 on the shaft 35 operates the disentangler wheel shaft l1, and the latter carries a similar pulley 59 which drives the picker roll I2 by means of a belt 60.

A cam 50 on the cam shaft 47 has one or more shoulders, as 49, adapted to be engaged with a follower roll 5| on a lever 52 adapted to vibrate the connecting rod 54 and through it a cross-head 55 which is adjustably secured to the slicer knife 34, as by a set-screw H.

The throw of the knife can be thus adjusted and a tension coil spring 56 tends to draw on the lever 52 and bring the roller 5| over against the low parts 50 of cam 48, avoiding lost motion.

According to another modification, see Figure 3, the severed sections of the tobacco carpet may be delivered to a conveyor 30 from the end of which the tobacco is delivered as a shower or spread onto the cigarette paper web or filler band 31 by means of a picker roll 32 adjacent the end of the conveyor 30 and rotating on an axis transverse to such conveyor.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for feeding tobacco to cigarette rod mechanism, comprising a rotary drum having a plain surface, means for delivering tobacco to the drum to form a mat thereon, and severing means comprising a knife reciprocating across the mat in a direction substantially normal to the circumference of the drum, to sever sections from the leading edge of the mat for delivery into the trough of the cigarette making machine.

2. Apparatus for feeding tobacco to cigarette rod mechanism, comprising a rotary drum having a plain surface, a series of partitions located adjacent the surface of the drum, said partitions having diverging side walls, means for delivering tobacco to the drum, to pass between the partitions and form a series of parallel mats on the drum, and severing means comprising a knife reciprocating across the mats to sever sections from the leading edges of the mats for delivery into the trough of the cigarette making machine.

3. Apparatus for feeding tobacco to the trough of a cigarette making machine, comprising a rotary drum having a plain surface, means for delivering tobacco to the drum to form a mat thereon, severing means comprising a knife reciprocating across the mat to sever sections from the leading edge of the mat for delivery into the trough of the cigarette making machine, and a shield spaced from the drum and terminating adjacent to the knife, the mat being formed in the space between the drum and the shield, said space being of an order suitable to permit free flow of the mat to the knife, induced exclusively by said plain surface of the drum.

4. In the feeding of tobacco to the trough of a continuous cigarette rod mechanism, feeding a mat of shredded filler tobacco in an arcuate path to severing means operating intermittently in a direction substantially normal to the curve of said path to sever sections from the leading end of the mat, disintegrating said severed sections, coinmingling loosely the shredded filler tobacco constituted thereby, and delivering the commingled product of such sections progressively to the trough of the cigarette rod mechanism.

5. Apparatus for feeding tobacco to the trough of a cigarette making machine, comprising a traveling surface movable in a curved path, means for delivering shredded tobacco to said surface to form a mat thereon whereby said mat is fed in said curved path, severing means operating intermittently in a direction substantially normal to the curve of said path to sever sections from the leading edge of the mat, and disentangling means arranged to receive the severed sections from said severing means and disintegrate said sections and deliver them to the trough of the cigarette making machine.

- JACK SHACKLETON. 

